On the Side #4 | Broccoli

Three sides that show broccoli doesn't have to be boring ...

Could do better

A few years ago I attended a talk by Tsunehiro Yagoshi, a ‘seed scientist’ from the Japanese company Sakata, the creators of Tenderstem broccoli (known outside the UK as Broccolini).

He was very clear that a key reason* the company developed this hybrid of brassica oleracea var. Italia (European broccoli) and brassica oleracea var. alboglabra (gai lan / Chinese broccoli), was that in their view the large headed, stumpy stalked European broccoli was, at best, boring, and would be improved greatly if it had flavoursome, long and tender stems per the Chinese variety. It was, he submitted, mad that so much of the Euro broccoli is typically wasted by the consumer, and maddening that so many then overcook the florets, leaving them mushy, grey and sulphurous.

(*side note: it was also developed to be a vegetable that thrives in warmer growing seasons than the traditional Euro varietal crop)

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Regardless of how you hold it, and how deranged you look, broccoli is a bit boring…

To an extent he had a point: ‘normal’ broccoli is a bit boring.

Or at least it is if you only cook the florets, boiling them until mushy, and seasoning mindlessly (if at all).

I think it also now suffers by comparison to Tenderstem / Broccolini, and purple sprouting broccoli too, both in that their stems are indeed tender and sweet, and also that they are significantly more aesthetically pleasing when plated. In today’s hyper-styled and constantly photographed and filmed world, what chance a stumpy floret vs the longer, inherently tactile alternatives?

Indeed, if I reflect on my own habits, it’s rare that an image or recipe for ‘normal’ broccoli draws me in (there’s something inherently school dinners or bad supermarket food advert about it) and when it comes to recipe writing, even rarer that I’d pitch or use it above purple sprouting or Tenderstem; it’s just not going to get the clicks.

And yet here I am, launching into a lengthy post about, and a trio of recipes for, bog standard broccoli.

My reasons for doing so are threefold:

1. just because something’s not a hyper-seasonal, on trend ingredient, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t get attention;

2. we cook a lot of it, so let’s cook it better; and

3. there was another reason but it’s escaped me. However, I’m firmly of the belief that points should always be made in threes.

Basically, this On The Side column, and indeed for Rocket & Squash, A Cook’s Digest more generally, is intended to be super-useful and highly cookable. There’s no point adding more asparagus tips and wild garlic stories to the mid-Spring pot, while ignoring the everyday items. If you, like me, find that you absentmindedly add broccoli to your shopping basket pretty much every time, but then do little more than boil or steam and serve it plain, then this one is for you.

p.s. as mentioned, broccoli always looks a bit shit in photos… skip over the images and enjoy the flavours ; )

Hard to stand out when PSB, romanesco broccoli and frillier brassicas are on offer

Broccoli goes especially well with

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